‘The Enlightened’ by Naomi Sepiso

I believe that people of colour
are born with an inherent majesty.
Self worth.
An inconceivable strength.

The white man, born with an twisted sense of pride,
have for centuries viewed this as a threat.
Throughout the histories of many cultures
they have ventured to shackle our minds.
Capture our spirit.
Enslave our Kings and Queens.

They whitewashed our history and legacies.
They made showpieces of our ancestors.
They convinced us that we were something less than human.
They succeed in convincing us that there is something inferior
about being born with coloured skin.

We fell apart –
turned against our brothers and sisters.
Our children became mute,
believed they were powerless.
We became vessels of dormant dreams and potential.

I believe a new generation is arising.
One of hope.
One that knows their worth.
Our voices reach the heavens and drown out our oppressors.
We do not tire in our quest to tear down the barriers that have been built for us.
We are the future.
The Enlightened.

Naomi Sepiso is a 17 y/o Kenyan/Zambian immigrant living in Australia. She mainly reflects on the journeys taken by many POC youth and their predecessors. ‘The Enlightened’ is a raw entry from the 31st of July 2015, taken from her journal. You can find Naomi on her tumblr and her instagram.